Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Tillis
Hi Victoria, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Typically we see hairstylists who grew up styling hair on their dolls to their friends and the community around them, but I had a different start. I didn’t always grow up dreaming of one day being in the beauty industry – I wanted to be a pediatric doctor with my own practice. I’ve always had an entrepreneur spirit and desire to have my own business, but life took me down a different path. I was raised in a single parent household where going to the beauty salon was only on the priority list for special occasions and by time I got to high school and started to develop my own personal style I wanted my hair and my fashion to speak to how I felt and not to my circumstances back home so when I turn 16 I started working at McDonalds so that I could afford to upgrade my look. Making $6.50/hr didn’t quite swing me enough to work full out salon visits into my budget, but it did allow me to be able to go to my local beauty supply store and purchase hair, products, and whatever else I needed to get creative with my own hair at home. I had friends that did hair around me that encouraged me that I could do it on my own and after watching some of them create styles on each other and even some on me I took a shot at it and after a while of practicing on myself in the mirror I became so good that people would ask me if I could do theirs next and I slowly started to build a clientele. Fast forward to my college years, still chasing that medical degree, I became known as the girl on campus who could do your hair right at school. The funny thing is when people would ask if I could do their hair I’d always say, “Yes, but don’t tell anybody I did it.” I had convinced myself that I didn’t want to work with too many people because I felt like I wouldn’t be doing hair for a living so I didn’t see the point. By this time I started to lack interest in the medical field and since it was something I thought I wanted to do since I was a kid this was a really tough time for me in school. I had a friend tell me to just go talk to some of the beauty schools. I had started getting into makeup and since she knew I didn’t want to do hair she said, “You never know, maybe you can do something else that’s not hair in the beauty industry.” and I had never thought about that so I was open enough to at least go see what my options are. Once I walked into the school I chose it was an immediate knowing for me. All the ideas I had about “I don’t want to do hair” were gone, the hair raised all over my body, and I just felt like “This is it!” I enrolled on that tour day and started to truly fall in love with the beauty industry and serving clients in a way I never thought I would. Once I graduated I worked at one of the only local hair salons that specialized in natural hair for almost 6 years. This is where I really honed my skill set, learned how to treat my guests, and how to properly gain trust to build a clientele. I opened my salon, Volume Life Salon Studio, June 2019 after the salon I built the foundation of my career at closed. Entrepreneurship has been rewarding in so many ways, but my most favorite thing about what I get to do behind the chair is connecting with women and helping them embrace themselves through the journey of understanding their natural hair and how to take better care of it at home. Getting a chance to help empower women so that they see themselves and their value through a better lens really fills me up and I’m excited to start servicing women in the North Dallas area really soon!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Owning a salon has not always been easy. One of my biggest struggles was only a year after opening – the pandemic. Salons were mandated to shut down for three months and I had to get creative with ways I could still service my guests in some way and keep some income flowing in. I started going live every Monday teaching my clients how to maintain and upkeep their own hair at home and I started offering curb side product pick up to ensure they had what they needed to get the job done. I’m so grateful that I was able to keep my business and personal life afloat without going into business debt and that I still had a strong clientele after the mandate was lifted.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in healthy textured hair and I service the naturally curly hair community. I offer styles like twists, updos, locs, microlocs, color, curly cuts, and presses. I help my guests restore and maintain healthy curls while teaching them how to take better care of their hair at home and helping them explore new ways to enjoy their own hair. What sets me apart is my dedication to respecting my client’s time by cultivating an environment where they can be fully serviced in a timely manner and the way I teach my guests with transparency so they have all the information and tools needed to see a point of difference in the health of their hair.
I also get a chance to create in the editorial space and have been honored with the chance to work with artists like Big KRIT, Forever Jones, and The Seratones.
I’m proud of being selected as one of Shreveport’s 40 Under Forty award recipients in 2021 and the salon being named as one of the top 3 salons in Shreveport-Bossier in 2024. As well as some of the work I’ve done in the community like hosting women empowerment events and partnering with local non-profit organizations to service the homeless community.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My mom: she has shown up for me and supported me in any way she can even down to being my assistant at one time. She’s been my constant cheerleader.
My clients: they keep me striving for better and support all things that I do. Most of my clients have been with me over a decade and they’ve followed me through every transition and they are a source of empowerment and knowledge for me.
Hairstylists: Ursula Stephen (the first black professional hairstylist I saw in a main stream magazine that showed me my dreams were possible), Lacy Redway, Naeemah Lafond, Michelle O’Connor, Yusef, and Alonzo Arnold all are my top beauty industry inspirations to create great work, have good integrity, and to just be myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thevolumelife.com
- Instagram: @thevolumelife / @v_onthekinks
- Facebook: Victoria Tillis / Volume Life Salon Studio
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@v_onthekinks
- Other: Amazon Storefront for top recommended products: https://www.amazon.com/shop/v_onthekinks
